UQ teachers gain global accreditation with Higher Education Academy

Twenty-two University of Queensland staff are being celebrated for their commitment to teaching after they were presented with Higher Education Academy (HEA) fellowships on Friday.

Four prestigious Principal Fellowships have been awarded to Professor Julie Duck (Associate Dean, Academic, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences), Professor Sarah Roberts-Thomson (Associate Dean, Academic, Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences), Associate Professor Lydia Kavanagh (Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology) and Dr Gillian Hallam (UQ Library).

Additionally 10 UQ staff were awarded Senior Fellowships, six received Fellowships and two received Associate Fellowships.

UQ’s Institute for Teaching and Learning Innovation (ITaLI) supported the pilot HEA program, collaborating with the ANU Educational Fellowship Scheme (EFS) to coordinate accreditation of all Principal Fellowships, and five of the Senior Fellowships.

UQ Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Professor Joanne Wright said the HEA fellowships provided acknowledgement and rewards for dedicated teaching staff.

“UQ is committed, as outlined in our Student Strategy, to contemporary and comprehensive ongoing professional development for its teaching staff,” she said.

“The HEA Pilot was one way for UQ to explore how we can further support and recognise excellent contributions to teaching, and is part of the University’s ongoing commitment to ensuring our teaching quality reflects international standards.

“With only 2500 Principal Fellows worldwide and 700 in Australasia, this award is a particularly remarkable achievement for these recipients,” Professor Wright said.

“I am delighted that each Fellow’s commitment to higher education is now recognised with the respected international accreditation that HEA provides.”

HEA Fellowship is aligned to the UK Professional Standards Framework, an internationally recognised system for benchmarking success in higher education, and rewards an individual’s ongoing commitment to learning and teaching.

HEA Head of Global Services Kathryn Harrison-Graves applauded UQ’s newly accredited staff and their commitment to teaching and learning.

“We are delighted to welcome the new HEA Fellows from The University of Queensland, and I congratulate each and every one of them on their achievement,” she said. 

“I think it’s really motivating for teaching staff in higher education to have their hard work and ongoing commitment to delivering a great academic experience for students formally rewarded – and HEA Fellowships do just that.”

UQ HEA recipients join a community of more than 90,000 Fellows worldwide, which enables the sharing of best practice across the world, benefiting the academic experience of students globally.

Media: Zarese Kisielewski, z.kisielewski@uq.edu.au, 3365 6211